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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958397">Life in Pining Central</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid'>ColorMeParanoid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Chimney is so over it, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Living Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Quarantine, Roommates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:09:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,438</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Maddie," Chimney hissed into his phone. “Send help. I've made a horrible mistake."</p>
<p>If someone had asked him a month ago what was the worst thing that could have happened to him, he would have said a global pandemic that forced him to stay away from his pregnant girlfriend to keep her and their baby safe. </p>
<p>But living in Buck's cramped little apartment with both Buck and Eddie at the same time? Now that felt like entering a whole new dimension of hell.</p>
<p>(Or, the one where Chimney rants to Maddie about the ridiculous amount of pining he's being subjected to during quarantine, unaware of prying ears listening in to their conversation)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>734</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Life in Pining Central</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Maddie," Chimney hissed into his phone. “Send help. I've made a horrible mistake."</p>
<p>If someone had asked him a month ago what was the worst thing that could have happened to him, he would have said a global pandemic that forced him to stay away from his pregnant girlfriend to keep her and their baby safe. Back when the whole chaos started, he was far too anxious and exhausted to give his living situation much thought, but as they settled into their new routine, he had quickly come to the harrowing conclusion.</p>
<p>Pandemic sucked, sure. But living in Buck's cramped little apartment with both Buck <em>and</em> Eddie at the same time? Now that felt like entering a whole new dimension of hell.</p>
<p>When it all first hit and they had to sort out their living arrangements, it came as surprise to no one that Eddie came to stay with Buck. Chimney quickly followed because he and Maddie had just taken the plunge and moved in together and Buck still owed him for staying at his place for those few miserable months. Hen, not wanting to be stuck with the three of them in Buck’s bachelor’s pad, took the invitation from Bobby to come stay with him and Athena, which, fair enough.  </p>
<p>It was a pretty small space for three adults, let alone four, but Buck's couch was just big enough to fit him and Buck and Eddie didn't seem to mind sharing a bed.</p>
<p>In retrospect, that should have been Chimney’s first red flag.</p>
<p>They functioned great as roommates, surprisingly enough. Buck took care of the cooking, Eddie kept the place sparkling clean because was a stress cleaner and Chimney provided the funny commentary and manned the entertainment portion of the apartment. He'd already educated one Buckley on the most important pop culture references, now it was Buck's turn.</p>
<p>But one thing became glaringly obvious pretty early on – Chimney was the third wheel here. Sure, Buck and Eddie weren't dating yet, but they were on the very verge of it. The whole place reeked of sexual tension, and all it would take was one spark to light the full on fire and the last thing Chimney wanted was to be caught in the middle of that mess, firefighter or not.</p>
<p>Yes, it would be great if the two of them stopped being idiots and finally admitted their feelings, but not while they were all living under the same roof. They had to stay on all the same shifts, and he didn’t trust them to keep their hands to themselves while he was around the apartment.</p>
<p>If they could have pined after one another for years, they could keep it up for a few more months until the world got its shit together and Chimney could go back home to Maddie.</p>
<p>But the lines were getting blurrier by the day. While before they kept up at least some pretense of having personal boundaries, those were now thrown completely out the window. Buck and Eddie now shared a closet, wearing each others clothes out of convenience – or so they kept insisting - and the few times he'd dared to peek, he found them curled up with one another in Buck's bed, even though it was definitely big enough for them to be able to spread out without touching.</p>
<p>And sure, Chimney understood that they needed the comfort to survive these trying times. Eddie was particularly touchy and on edge because he was away from Christopher and Buck fluttered around him like a worried mother cat, always brushing against him in the kitchen or sitting glued to his side on the couch in an attempt to distract him from his troubling thoughts. And Chimney got it, alright? He did. He'd be doing the exact same thing if Maddie was here, too.</p>
<p>But the pining. God, the <em>pining</em>. All those sad, longing looks that both seemed oblivious to, that they didn’t even bother hiding from him anymore. The thinly veiled love confessions, the touching, the whole "reading Chris bedtime stories together like we're a perfect little family unit" thing.</p>
<p>Seriously. How could they not fucking see this?</p>
<p>At this point, Chimney flinched every time the bed above him on the loft so much as creaked in the middle of the night, convinced that they were doing way more than just <em>sleeping</em> sleeping together. If they weren’t such shitty actors, he’d be convinced that they were already together and keeping up the act for some odd reason.</p>
<p>But seeing how they were not yet together, he just needed them to keep it in their pants for a little bit longer before he could move out. Then, they could do whatever the hell they wanted.</p>
<p>Maddie's laugh came from the other line and the sound of it put him at ease. He missed her so much it hurt. "What is it now?"</p>
<p>He'd kept her well informed to the ongoing Buck and Eddie saga, so he didn't have to suffer alone though he suspected she was mostly making fun of him for being so invested in it in the first place. She wasn't here, though; she couldn't possibly understand the horror of living right in the middle of it.</p>
<p>"Where do you want me to start?" he whispered, mindful of the two men sleeping right above him. He'd waited until they were all in bed to call Maddie to say goodnight in some semblance of privacy. "This morning, when Eddie got up early because Buck had a rough day yesterday and he wanted to make him breakfast in bed as a surprise? Or tonight, when Eddie found out that Buck sent Chris a care package with some science kit and got the exact same one so they could do it together over the camera?"</p>
<p>"Aww," Maddie said, already sniffling. Pregnancy hormones have hit her hard. "That's so sweet."</p>
<p>"Sweet?" Chimney scoffed. "More like sickening. I swear, Eddie was one breath away from getting on his knees right then and there."</p>
<p>A moment of silence. "You are aware that we're talking about my baby brother here, right?"</p>
<p>It took Chimney a moment to connect the dots. "Ew, Maddie. I meant on his knees, begging for his hand in marriage and not <em>that</em>. Get your mind out of the gutter."</p>
<p>“It’s the hormones,” Maddie said, almost whining. “My mind is always in the gutter these days.”</p>
<p>Chimney took a deep, steadying breath. There was nothing he’d love more than to be with her his every waking moment, especially knowing just how much she wanted him but he couldn’t. He firmly reminded himself that it wasn’t safe and he was not willing to risk her or their baby for anything, even though having to resort to quick jerk off sessions in the shower where he knew his two best friends did the same wasn’t exactly appealing.</p>
<p>“But anyway,” he said, returning back to the topic before his mind went down to the gutter along with hers. “Their pining is really driving me crazy. I mean, how can they not know, Maddie? How?”</p>
<p>Maddie hummed, and he heard her shuffling around in their bed. “Maybe they’re just scared? Like we were.”</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Chimney allowed. “But we got our shit sorted out so why can’t they do the same? It’s a miracle they haven’t figured it out already. You’d think that Buck would get the message that Eddie only had eyes on him when Eddie blew off that teacher. Ana was it?”</p>
<p>“I think so. Buck was burning with jealousy when she asked Eddie out.”</p>
<p>“I know!” He quieted his voice after his sudden exclamation, but he heard no sound coming from upstairs so he kept talking. “She was basically his perfect match and he really seemed to like her, and yet he still ended it out of nowhere. And Buck was acting all shocked as if he didn’t know that it was because he was being so weird about it. So aggressively supportive.”</p>
<p>Buck was so transparent about his dislike of Ana, it would have been funny if it wasn’t so sad. Every time Eddie would look at his phone and smile, Buck would get all sad eyed and teary, all the while cheering Eddie on to just go for it, giving him date ideas and offering to babysit Christopher for the night so they could have some privacy. It was the worst kind of self sacrifice and it was painful to watch because Chimney had been there himself, more times than he could count.</p>
<p>It was a relief for everyone when Eddie came into the station one morning and announced that Ana was not coming over to Bobby’s barbecue that weekend because they’ve broken things off. Finally, things went back to normal. Or, as normal as they could be considering their lives.</p>
<p>“Not that Eddie is any better,” Maddie said, amusement clear in her voice. “Remember when Abby contacted Buck again and invited him to her wedding?”</p>
<p>Chimney couldn’t help but laugh along, struggling to keep it quiet. “How could I forget? The look he gave Buck when he admitted he was actually considering going was downright terrifying. If Buck insisted on going, I have no doubt that he would have tied him to the bed to prevent it. The guy really can’t stand Abby.”</p>
<p>Not that any of them could, after what happened. Buck was far from perfect, but he was kind to a fault, and seeing him after she left, how much she dragged it all out and strung him along was devastating to see. Not that Chimney would ever admit it out loud. He had a reputation to uphold. Buck’s ego didn’t need any more stroking.</p>
<p>“Trust me, I know. I’m the one who he ranted about her, remember? That night we went out for karaoke and everyone got blindingly drunk?”</p>
<p>“Of course I remember. You and Eddie had an Abby trash talking party while Buck was too busy fending off handsy women and men at the bar. Man, if Eddie was sober enough to notice their hands all over Buck, there definitely would have been a fight for his honor.”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to lie, I’d pay to see that.” They chuckled together for a moment, before it grew serious again. “I just wish they finally either took that step, or moved on. Because I can see how much this dance is weighing on Buck and I don’t want him to get hurt again. At this rate, it’s inevitable.”</p>
<p>Chimney hummed his agreement. “Do you think that Eddie knows just how many people ask Buck out on a weekly basis? He has to know that one day, Buck is going to say yes to someone else if he doesn’t ask him out first. And it’s going to be a disaster we’re all going to get caught up in. I don’t know about you, but I’m not in the mood for picking sides.”</p>
<p>“Always so pessimistic,” Maddie chided him. “You know that you don’t have to pretend with me. It’s okay to admit to yourself exactly why you’re so invested in their personal drama.”</p>
<p>Chimney sighed. “Ugh fine, maybe I just want my two friends to be happy together. I’m a big, fluffy marshmallow on the inside. Is that what you wanted me to say?”</p>
<p>Maddie was silent for a moment, enough to worry him when she simply said, “You’re going to be an amazing dad.”</p>
<p>“Maddie-“ he tried, overwhelmed with emotion at her sounding so certain of this fact, like it was that easy when he himself struggled on a daily basis to accept it. He didn’t plan on being a horrible, awful dad. But that wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that people generally planned for; it just happened. And his own father wasn’t exactly a great role model.  </p>
<p>“I know, Howie,” Maddie said. “I know. I just thought that maybe you needed to hear it.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Chimney settled for, instead of trying to argue with her. She’d never let him win, anyway. “You’re going to be an amazing mom, too.”</p>
<p>He heard her sniffle again. “Buck did turn out pretty great, didn’t he?”</p>
<p>Chimney rolled his eyes. “As loathe as I am to admit it, I guess he could have turned out much worse.”</p>
<p>“He’s going to be a great dad too, one day,” Maddie said. “I think he’s the one who’s the most excited about this baby. He can’t wait to become an uncle.”</p>
<p>“Maddie, he’s already a dad in everything but the title,” Chimney reminded her. “He and Eddie are already raising Christopher together. Hen is my best friend and I never once attended any of Denny’s PTA meetings. And I definitely don’t tuck him in at night. Did you know that Buck is now Christopher’s emergency contact in school if they can’t reach Eddie?”</p>
<p>Maddie actually gasped at that. “I didn’t. Why didn’t I know that? Buck never mentioned it.”</p>
<p>“At this point, he probably just assumed it was obvious.” Chimney couldn’t help but chuckle as the realization hit him. “Maddie, they’re more married than we are and we’re about to have a baby together. How crazy is that?”</p>
<p>“Very,” she agreed, whatever else she was about to say interrupted by a yawn. “Sorry. It’s been a long day. I should probably go to sleep.”</p>
<p>“Or,” Chimney suggested, feeling adventurous. She was alone in her bedroom, Buck and Eddie were asleep and it had been a long while since they had any privacy. Not taking advantage of it would be a damn shame. “We could talk some more. For example, what are you wearing?”</p>
<p>Maddie giggled, clearly on board. “Ask me again in a minute if you want a sexier answer.”</p>
<p>“You’re always sexy, no matter what you’re wearing,” he responded, then stiffened at an abrupt chocking noise that definitely didn’t come from Maddie. His head shot up at the loft, where he was sure that Buck and Eddie were sound asleep. Apparently, he was wrong.</p>
<p>“Uh, Chim?” he heard Eddie say. “You do know that we can hear everything you’re saying, right?”</p>
<p>Chimney did not. “Then why the hell haven’t you said something sooner?!”</p>
<p>“Howie?” Maddie’s voice interrupted his panic. “What’s going on?”</p>
<p>“It seems that we’ve had an audience the entire time,” he hissed quietly into his phone. “I have to go-“</p>
<p>“Don’t you dare hang up now,” she hissed back. “I want to hear this.”</p>
<p>Knowing she’d never forgive him if he left her out of this, he simply sighed and raised up his phone higher in the air so she could hear the entire conversation from both sides.</p>
<p>“Well?” Chimney called out, waiting for an answer from the two assholes who thought that listening in on private conversations was an appropriate thing to do. Sure, he was talking about them, but that wasn’t the point. If he’d known they were listening, he would have gone outside.</p>
<p>“You, uh,” Buck called out, voice a little shaky. “You were bringing up some valid points.” Then, a little quieter, probably aimed solely at Eddie this time, “Why <em>aren’t</em> we actually dating?”</p>
<p>Oh shit. Here we go. Chimney was definitely way too invested in this ongoing romantic tension between them, but he didn’t even care at this point. He was at the very edge of his seat, ears straining not to miss on a single word they exchanged in the silence of this tiny apartment.</p>
<p>"I-" Eddie tried, hesitating. "I don't really know. I guess they're right. I am scared."</p>
<p>"Of me?" Buck asked and the heartbreak was evident in his voice.</p>
<p>"Of <em>losing</em> you." Another long moment of hesitation, then, "Buck, you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I don't know how I'd survive losing you."</p>
<p>"I get it, because I feel the same way. Losing you and Chris if things between us went wrong... I don't even want to imagine it."</p>
<p>Chimney didn't like the direction this was going in. If this was yet another blatant proclamation of obvious feelings that went nowhere, he was going to scream.</p>
<p>"But," he cut in, before either of the two of them could talk their way out of their future relationship. "And I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. What if things <em>did</em> work out? What if it all stayed the same but got even better? What if-"</p>
<p>"Thanks, Chim," Eddie interrupted. "But I think we've got it from here."</p>
<p>Chimney bit back his snarky response to that because they were trying to have a moment here so he wasn't about to call them out on their bullshit. Not at this exact moment, anyway. But he was expecting a giant thank you tomorrow when he could look the two of them in the eye again. He wouldn't say no to an edible arrangement either, but he'd settle for a thank you and bragging rights for being the one who finally got them together. Maybe a best man speech at their wedding?</p>
<p>"What he said," Eddie said to Buck and both Buck and Chimney snorted at that, though Chimney had a feeling that Buck's snort was far more smitten and fonder than his.</p>
<p>"Wow, such romance, Diaz. You really know how to woo a guy."</p>
<p>Though he couldn’t see it, Chimney could feel Eddie's eyeroll.</p>
<p>"You knew exactly what you were getting into when you fell for me," Eddie said. "If you're expecting some grand romcom love confession, you're very mistaken. Still want me?"</p>
<p>Buck heaved a loud sigh, pretending to think about it. "I guess you'll do. But I'm definitely calling dibs to being the one who proposes. I will <em>not</em> spend the rest of my life telling people that you proposed to me casually over breakfast as we were getting ready for work on a random Tuesday morning. I have some standards."</p>
<p>"You've got yourself a deal."</p>
<p>There were some more shuffling sounds and then silence, only pierced by Maddie's exclamation of joy coming from the phone he'd all forgotten he'd been holding.</p>
<p>"Oh my god! Finally! Is this really happening? Did they kiss?"</p>
<p>The bed gave a sudden creak, and Chimney's happy grin dissolved into a pained grimace. "I think they still are. Hey, guys!" he called out. "Knock it off!"</p>
<p>They paid him no mind. Maddie laughed. "Leave them alone. You remember what we were like when we first got together."</p>
<p>If she was hoping that reminiscing about that wonderful time would improve his mood, she was deadly mistaken. Because he knew very well that following an intense period of pining, there came a hell of a lot of <em>making up for lost time</em> reunion sex.</p>
<p>Chimney wanted to believe that the two of them would have enough decency to hold off until he wasn't actually in the room with them, but he knew that was just wishful thinking from his part. They were too caught up in each other and the happy swell of emotion to even remember his name.</p>
<p>A muffled moan coming from upstairs only confirmed his suspicion.</p>
<p>Chimney sighed. "I guess I'm sleeping in my car tonight."</p>
<p>He grabbed his blanket, a pillow and his car keys and left the apartment, making sure to slam the door behind him to make his absence known. They could have tonight to properly seal the deal, but starting tomorrow, Chimney was laying down the law and setting some boundaries. If he had to suffer by sharing an apartment that was bound to become even more stifling with their feelings, then they would just have to deal with having to keep their hands to each other until their living arrangements changed.</p>
<p>How long could this quarantine possibly last?</p>
<p>A few minutes later, after he'd made himself as comfortable in the back seat of his car as he was going to get, he picked up his phone again, Maddie having patiently waited for him to get settled into his shelter for tonight.</p>
<p>"So, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted? Right. What are you wearing <em>now</em>?"</p>
<p>The sound of Maddie's laughter echoing from the other side of his phone made him grin. Making her laugh was his favorite things in the world and he wished more than anything that he could be with her right now. But until it was safe to do so, they were just going to have to make the best of what they had.</p>
<p>If that meant having phone sex in the middle of the night while he was hiding out in his car, avoiding his inconsiderate roommates, well. That was just life in 2020.</p>
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